Talk:Milpa agriculture

Article Checklist for "Milpa agriculture"

Workgroup category or categories	Agriculture Workgroup, Anthropology Workgroup [Categories OK]
Article status	Stub: no more than a few sentences
Underlinked article?	No
Basic cleanup done?	Yes
Checklist last edited by	--Joe Quick (Talk) 19:15, 1 August 2007 (CDT)

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A little help?

I know that the basic milpa system is followed throughout Mesoamerica but could someone confirm for me whether the word "milpa" is used everywhere? Also, I know that corn was domesticated in Mesoamerica but does anyone know whether beans were domesticated at the same time? Basically, how deep do the milpa's roots go and how far do they reach? Thanks in advance for any help you can give. --Joe Quick (Talk) 19:35, 1 August 2007 (CDT)

I'm no expert in this, but I've observed these agricultural practices among Mam-speakers of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, but was not there long enough to learn the term they used for it--actually, I vaguely remember that they simply used milpa to refer not to their agricultural practices but to simply the family corn field, which did often have squashes, beans, and other plants intermingled. I have some great photos I might be able to dig out and dust off, by the way. But what I think is lacking from the article is, what is exactly Milpa agriculture up against other forms of indigenous swidden agricultures? Is it primarily the term applied to the field? The types of food plants planted? Is there associated unique meanings and rituals? Etc? Assume your reader knows nothing, of course.  —Stephen Ewen (Talk) 02:24, 12 August 2007 (CDT)